Gravesham residents look to overturn management firm “plaguing” their estate
They are looking to employ their ‘Right to Manage’ under the Common and Leasehold Reform Act 2002
Last updated 29th May 2025
Residents are looking to remove a management firm from their estate as they claim they’re being charged “more and more for less”.
FirstPort has been described by Gravesham MP Dr Lauren Sullivan as “plaguing” estates up and down the country with their poor management, but the firm insists they “do everything we can to keep costs as low as possible.”
The Springhead Parkway estate, near Gravesend, forms part of the Ebbsfleet Garden City development area.
Construction commenced in 2007, and now the whole Springhead estate stands at 799 homes in total.
However, residents on one part of the estate are fed up with management firm FirstPort, which developers Vistry contract to maintain public spaces in the area.
“When we first moved onto the estate, everything was okay, but over the years it’s been degrading; the maintenance of our public areas is terrible,” said Joshua Johnson, who has lived on the estate for three years.
“The common land round here, where they’ve planted bushes and they’re meant to maintain, is not being kept.
“There’s litter and dog mess that’s not being collected in the parks, there’s broken apparatus, broken swings that have not been fixed for over a year now.
“They always paint a sunny picture, but all you have to do is walk around, see the park, see the smashed lights, missing swings, the rubbish, dog mess bins that haven’t been emptied.”
His partner, Ashley Wilson, said that the couple even avoid taking their young son to the park.
Mr Johnson explained that last year, they were given a £600 surprise “maintenance adjustment” fee, with one month to pay it, in the month before Christmas.
“There’s just no transparency with FirstPort; whenever you contact them, they never give a straight answer,” he continued.
“When we called there was no explanation as to why these charges were being put forward; they were giving no evidence, and they were being quite threatening as well, saying that they would take action if these fees weren’t paid.”
The couple say that over the years, unexplained or seemingly unjustified FirstPort charges have cost them about £2,500.
As such, they have banded together with other residents in a bid to employ their ‘Right to Manage’ under the Common and Leasehold Reform Act 2002.
The rules allow leaseholders to petition the management firms of their estates and replace them, forcing the developers, Vistry, to step in if they get more than 50% of residents signing the petition.
Mr Johnson said: “Take us back to when we first came and viewed this property three years ago – the first thing we said was how beautiful the estate was.
“It was very clean, we looked around the parks, it was great, but it slowly got worse and worse, and we’re paying more and more money for what seems to be less work.”
Dr Lauren Sullivan MP (Lab) is in touch with residents and supporting their calls to replace FirstPort.
She said: “They’ve told me the prices of the management costs are going up, and transparency is non-existent.”
However, the matter of the petition is complicated by the fact that different sections of the estate are technically run by different developers and therefore, different management firms.
Dr Sullivan’s office says the residents are therefore struggling to find out precisely how many people they need to sign up to instigate the removal of FirstPort.
She continued: “FirstPort has been plaguing communities and new housing communities across the country, and I’ve joined together with fellow MPs to write a letter summoning them to parliament to explain what they’re doing.”
The Labour government said in the last King’s Speech that it plans on introducing a draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Act in the second half of this year to “take steps to bring the feudal leasehold system to an end.”
FirstPort has come under fire from residents of Kent estates before – being axed from the management of the Faversham Lakes estate by fed-up residents earlier this year.
In February, the firm had to freeze residents’ accounts at the Shorncliffe Heights development in Folkestone after furious residents forced them to investigate inconsistencies in their bills.
A spokesperson for FirstPort company said: “We recognise the importance of providing value for money for our customers and we do everything we can to keep costs as low as possible whilst not compromising on the service we provide.
“Each year, we estimate the funding needed to cover scheduled works and maintenance and share budgets with our homeowners in advance.
“The service charge is not a source of revenue for property managers; it is allocated to cover actual expenses incurred to ensure the smooth running of the property.”
Vistry has been contacted for comment.